Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) suggested House Republicans could reach a point where they vote to defund Food and Drug Administration programs after President Joe Biden threatened to fight a federal ruling to suspend the agency’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk moved to suspend the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, which is used to end the life of an unborn child in about half of all abortions since authorities permitted using the drug more than two decades ago. Kacsmaryk argued that the FDA stonewalled judicial review and ignored petitions, rushing its approval of putting the potentially dangerous drug on the market.
Biden has promised to fight the Texas ruling, claiming the move results is “another unprecedented step in taking away basic freedoms from women and putting their health at risk.”
Rep. Gonzales, however, told CNN “State of the Union” host Dana Bash on Sunday that Democrats encouraging the Biden administration to ignore the decision, including Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), are sending a “very dangerous” message.
“The House Republicans have the power of the purse,” Gonzales said. “And if the administration wants to not live up to this ruling, then we’re going to have a problem … it may come to a point where House Republicans on the appropriation side have to defund FDA programs that don’t make sense.”
Judge Kacsmaryk’s decision sided with the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and other pro-life groups who were represented by lawyers with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which sued the FDA in November, accusing the agency of “reckless and inadequate screening” of the abortion drug regimen utilizing mifepristone and removing restrictions designed to protect the safety of women.
ADF Senior Counsel Erik Baptist argued FDA officials never had the authority to approve these drugs and remove important safeguards.
“Pregnancy is not an illness, and chemical abortion drugs don’t provide a therapeutic benefit—they can pose serious and life-threatening complications to the mother, in addition to ending a baby’s life,” Baptist said.
According to polling conducted by the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America group, Americans do not believe the FDA’s assertions that mail-order abortion drugs are safe – including 75% who agree the agency should have performed studies focused on girls under the age of 18 before approving the abortion pill for minors.
Ingrid Skop, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., is a board-certified OB-GYN who has practiced in Texas for nearly 30 years. She serves as senior fellow and director of medical affairs at Charlotte Lozier Institute and said she performed at least a dozen surgeries on women who experienced complications due to abortion pills, including women needing blood transfusions, treatment for severe infections, and emotional distress after witnessing their child’s body in the toilet, Skop said in a news release.
SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said post Dobbs v. Jackson era ruling, the abortion industry has relied on abortion pills as a backstop as more than a dozen states have enacted strong protections for unborn babies and mothers.
“Women deserve to know about all the life-affirming options that are available to them, including nearly 3,000 pregnancy centers and maternity homes nationwide that offer vital services at no cost, as well as safe, effective abortion pill reversal that has saved thousands of babies after their moms regretted making the terrible mistake of taking mifepristone to cause an abortion. The pro-life movement stands ready as always to serve them with compassion and respect,” Dannenfelser said.
The Biden administration will have a week to appeal the decision.